Lisa Gipson
! d r a o b All A Where to ride the rails in California
Ready to plan a unique spring or summer family getaway? Look no further than the fascinating and historically rich train experiences throughout the state of California. How fun would it be to plan entire family vacation dedicated to train exploration? No matter where you’re headed, there’s probably a train ride nearby.
World-Famous Skunk Train Fort Bragg Take the Pudding Creek Express on a seven-mile scenic round trip along Pudding Creek Estuary and through ancient redwood trees. The 75-minute experience includes a short stop at Glen Blair Junction, where passengers can explore the trails. Or, take a longer trip on the Wolf Tree Turn route, which departs from Willits (about an hour east of Fort Bragg). www.skunktrain.com
Sonoma TrainTown Railroad Sonoma Kids love the quarter-scale railroad and train-themed rides at TrainTown. Each train ride is 20 minutes long, venturing through tunnels and over bridges, stopping at the petting zoo. Open weekends; daily during the summer. www.traintown.com
Redwood Valley Railway
Experiencing both
the Skunk Train and worldfamous Rail Bikes (awesome!) in Mendocino County last fall inspired me to discover what other fun railways exist in California. Thanks to train-fanatic friends, I found out there are tons! If your family loves trains—and even if they don’t—this list offers vacation and daytrip inspiration that will captivate most.
Skunk Train 24 • SanDiegofamily.com • March 2022
Orinda (Berkeley) Families love riding this miniature steam train that is commonly known as Tilden Steam Train because of its location in Tilden Regional Park. Enjoy a 12-minute ride through the redwoods covered hills of Berkeley. Open daily in the summer; weekends only during winter months. https://redwood-valleyrailway.business.site
Redwood Forest Steam Train Felton (Santa Cruz) Visitors to Roaring Camp can ride a steam engine through towering redwood groves and up a narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain. Trains run daily (except Christmas); a 1941 Plymouth Diesel may be used on weekdays January through March. www.roaringcamp.com
